A Fragile Peace
by ChristyCat
Summary: Oneshot ? : What happens when Lex Luthor and Superman are forced to work together? Brainiac is the catalyst for this unlikely and VERY temporary alliance.


This is an old fic I can't believe I forgot to post here.  Hope you like!

A Fragile Peace  
Word Count - 2520

The sun shone brightly against the blue of a cloudless sky. The summer air was warm and soft as it wove its way in and out of the gathered crowd. But the song of the birds in a nearby tree fell on deaf ears. No eyes took in the sight of the newly blooming flowers that populated the lush garden.

Today had begun as a day when the city would celebrate its champion. Superman had been the recipient of countless keys to innumerable cities, but Metropolis held him nearest to her heart.

Today was supposed to be a day of fanfare, gratitude and joy.

Until a towering form had materialized on the crowded stage set up in the center of MetroPark. He stood a good foot and a half taller than Superman, causing the hero's head to incline to regard him.

His head was without hair, completely smooth, save for the metal wiring that ran along the base of his skull and traveled onto his forehead, where it divided into three to connect a trio of glowing green diodes.

The figure did not shout – in fact, he hardly raised his voice above conversational tones. His menace was carried on his calm demeanor, it flashed like a caged tiger from behind cold unfeeling eyes.

Brainiac.

He had materialized before, somehow always managing to evade Superman's tireless pursuit. This time however, he was not alone. A barely conscious man was now hanging gracelessly over one powerful arm, his face hidden from view.

"Always so pious." Brainiac's voice was calm, his tone oozing repulsively over each syllable. "How could your fair city do anything else but open her arms to you? Such a pillar of virtue… always ready to make the sacrifice to protect the huddled masses."

The crowed gasped and recoiled as he raised his hand toward them. There was a mechanical whirring and the flesh on the villain's finger peeled back to reveal a long metallic syringe. "But what if the sacrifice wasn't yours to make?" Brainiac's eyes lowered to the human cowering in his grasp.

"Don't!" Superman shouted, raising a pleading hand and taking a step forward.

Brainiac's voice remained maddeningly calm. He was unflinching in his concentration as he placed the syringe against flesh and depressed the plunger. "Would you sacrifice one to save the many?"

Lex Luthor's groaned and his eyes rolled back into his head as the contents of the syringe found entrance into his blood stream.

"I'm fascinated by you, Kal El. In all the worlds I have seen, I have witnessed the most elite of the upright fall to the wayside when I manipulated their lusts… power… money… all except you. But I'm curious … at what point does the price of truth and justice become too high? "

Brainiac's lips twisted upward in a macabre parody of a smile. "This nanite contains the destructive energy not yet fathomed in this realm. In fifteen minutes time it will detonate, destroying both its host and whatever lies between the blast and one hundred miles. I suspect even you Kal El, would succumb to the force of the explosion. "

He opened his arms and Luthor fell unceremoniously to the ground. Brainiac sauntered across the grass toward Superman whose face was stretched taught in fury.

"Your mortal enemy. He is not an innocent." Brainiac purred. "Think of all the lives that have been cut short because of this one man…"

"That doesn't mean I'll let him die." Superman hissed from behind clenched teeth.

The smug expression melted from Brainiac's face. "I will see you falter Kal El. I will watch this event destroy you from the innermost depths. And when you let him die…I will have my victory."

Brainiac's eyes flashed inhumanly for a moment and in the next instant the humanoid was gone.

Superman launched forward and gently lifted a stunned Luthor into his arms.

"What are you going to do?" Lois Lane stood at his side, her eyes wide with worry and fear.

Superman's determined gaze met hers.

"Whatever I have to."

Without another word he took to the sky.

The wind began to cool as the pair ascended into the lower layer of the clouds, its touch beguiling Lex out of the alcove of unconsciousness.

His eyes widened momentarily as he took in his surroundings. He reflexively held tighter onto the hero's powerful shoulders before he remembered himself and settled his expression into a mocking grimace.

"What a predicament we find ourselves in, Superman." Lex laughed ironically from behind his mask of bravado even as his terrified heartbeat thundered in Superman's ears. "Once again my life seems to be in your hands. Were I not so invested in the outcome, I would almost be amused."

Superman glanced at Luthor out of the corner of his eye, shaking his head slightly.

"I just need to get your away from the city until we can figure out what to do." He lifted them higher into the stratosphere.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Lex' face and was soon joined by a host of others. "We?" His voice began to shake and his eyes closed. "He's not my enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my fr…, my friend." He stammered.

"Well you're 'friend' just injected you with a nuclear bomb, so maybe you should rethink poker night…" Superman's voice trailed off as Lex' entire body tensed. "What is it?"

Luthor gasped as his body began to shudder violently. He opened his mouth to speak and the only sound that came was an agonized groan.

Superman looked below them, spying a newly-cleared field; he accelerated and landed gently amidst a small grouping of trees.

Lex' legs gave way the moment they touched the ground and Superman carried him over to one of the trees, leaning him against the sturdy trunk.

Lex opened his eyes, his breath seemingly having returned. He reached into his pocket and produced a handkerchief. He ran it over his face, mopping away the sheen of sweat that had collected there.

Superman took a step back and fixed his gaze on the man. His pupils dilated as skin gave way to muscle and muscle to bone. Superman's piercing gaze took in every cell of blood, watching its flow for the nanite.

His eyes followed the stream to a small pulsating chip hardly bigger than a grain of sand. The nanite was lodged just above Lex' sternum, not far from his collarbone. Despite its size, the angry red glow illuminated the blood and bone around it. Before his eyes, the red light faded into a lighter amber and finally into green.

"What…do you see?" Lex' voice had lost all pretenses. His curiosity and his fear were both evident as he watched Superman's expression with baited breath.

Superman looked up to the heavens, "It must have sensed the change in air pressure and reacted defensively."

"So basically, it can defend itself and preserve its self from destruction…well apart from the aforementioned nuclear explosion." Lex deadpanned. "I imagine any surgical means are probably off the docket as well."

Superman's eyes flashed uncertainly before he nodded slowly. "I can't imagine I'd be able to get there in time, and even if I could, I have no idea how to dismantle it."

Lex chuckled and leaned his head against the tree. "You could always throw me into space and hope the bomb doesn't catch on before I clear the o-zone."

Superman's head snapped in Lex' direction. "I meant it when I said I wasn't going to let you die."

Lex snorted and rose to his feet. "It's amazing how your flawless morality continues to infuriate me is even when I am the beneficiary of it."

Superman offered a wry smile. "Well don't get too hot under the color you're liable to set off another spike in the nanite."

Lex raised his hand and slid his sleeve upward, baring his wrist to reveal an expensive timepiece. He sighed. "In seven minutes it won't matter."

Superman rubbed his temples, he could hear every second ticking away on Lex' watch. There had to be something that could be done. If only they had more time…But time was not a luxury they could afford.

Superman began to pace, thinking out loud. "It sounds similar to a pressure bomb. When we changed altitude the device perceived it and reacted…"

"So…we need to find a way to neutralize my internal pressure?"

"Pretty much."

"And how can we do that in," he glanced at his watch. "five minutes and forty two seconds?"

Superman's eyebrows went up. "We need steady pressure. That won't change no matter the altitude. Ice would maintain that pressure."

Lex' face paled and his eyes grew round with disbelief. "You want to freeze my blood?!" he said incredulously.

"It would give me time to extract the nanite and get it a safe distance away…"

"That is… insane!" Lex rose to his feet and began to pace as well, his expression bewildered. "Can't you just…blast it with your heat vision or something?"

"Well, the nanite is hovering somewhere between your collarbone and sternum, and any heat that would be enough to destroy the nanite would boil your blood. So since our goal is to do this without killing you, I'm thinking that would be a bad plan. The best I can do is freeze the blood around it and remove it before it explodes."

Lex ran his hands over the smooth surface of his head down over his face. "Alright. Let's say that could work…are you going to be able to fly fast enough to get the bomb into space and then get yourself 100 miles away before it explodes?"

The hero's lips curved into a smile. "Well Lex, I didn't know you cared."

"Don't read anything into it, Blue…if you don't return, I remain frozen solid in the middle of a field. Your wellbeing is only my concern when it suits me."

Superman nodded once, an amused sparkle still present in his eye.

"So…can you?" Lex eyed him intently.

"Can I what?"

Lex sighed. "Make the trip that fast! Keep up! I thought you were supposed to be as smart as you were strong!"

An ebony eyebrow made a slow ascent. "We have two and a half minutes. You could always come with me and see space for yourself."

Lex' glare was his only response.

Superman exhaled. "I can make the trip." His expression intensified. "Do you trust me?"

Luthor was silent a moment, the circumstances removing the opportunity for any more bravado. His head inclined almost imperceptibly. "What do I need to do?" he asked quietly.

The mortal enemies share a look of fleeting understanding and respect.

"Just close your eyes, stay still and try not to worry."

Lex lay down on the ground and folded his trembling hands over his stomach. "I can only promise the first two."

Superman's reassuring smile was the last thing Lex Luthor saw before closing his eyes. The air around him grew cold so quickly he hardly had a moment to inhale his surprise.

Then everything went still.

Superman monitored the pulse of his enemy as a thin red line extended from his eyes, slicing through delicate flesh. The process was painstaking in its precision and the hero wiped a bead of sweat from his own brow as the precious seconds faded away.

There was a riot of color as he used the same blast of heat to cauterize the wound, while exhaling a mist of frost into his hand. He then rocketed into the sky praying his efforts would be enough.

Superman's form grew smaller as he plunged into the mid-afternoon sky, finally disappearing altogether when he reached the vast recesses of space. His knowledge of the cosmos raced through his consciousness and he turned in the direction he deemed would merit the least amount of risk.

His close proximity to the power of the sun fueled him with extra energy as he drew back his arm and cast the seemingly inconsequential bundle of cells into the unending depths of space.

He rocketed back to earth as the immeasurable cold of the void overcame the nanite and it expelled its charge. Even at a great distance, the magnitude of the explosion was visible from the earth's surface. A force that would have decimated on hundred miles was diminished to a fleeting yet impressive flash in the heavens.

In mere moments he had returned to the field and scooped up the unconscious and frozen body of Lex Luthor, he was just as quickly back in the sky, carrying the man to safety.

Lex opened his eyes. The color had returned to his face hours ago, the involuntary shivering of his body had all but subsided. Other than being sore, groggy, and confused, he was no worse for wear. His eyes darted around him in confusion before falling onto the chiseled features of his enemy. Superman stood at the foot of the gurney watching him in concern. Lex' eyes narrowed as he deadpanned "Well I guess I didn't make it to heaven."

Superman's face lit up in amusement and relief as his baritone laugh bounced off the walls of the small room. "You're welcome." He chided sarcastically.

"Where am I?" Lex reached up and gently touched the sealed wound that was even now healing on his shoulder.

"The infirmary."

He paused. Understanding flooded Lex' eyes as he took in the sights of the prison's medical care facility.

"Brainiac saved me the trouble of finding you myself. You'll live a long healthy life …behind the bars. I can only pray you find redemption here, Lex. Imagine the good you could do in the world if you focused your intelligence in the right direction."

Luthor scoffed.

Superman shook his head and depressed the button next to the door. A loud buzzer sounded and the metal door groaned as it opened.

"Superman."

His cape swirled around his feet as Superman turned his attention to the man stretched out on the gurney.

"This doesn't change anything, you know."

A flash of disappointment traveled over Superman's face. "See you in seventy years, Lex."

Lex sat up and leaned forward, his voice lowered conspiratorially. "You know they can't hold me forever." He hissed.

Clark didn't blink. His face was passive as he nodded. "And I'll be here waiting."

Lex laughed humorlessly. "Always doing what's right…always fighting for truth and justice."

"It's the only thing worth fighting for, Lex."

With that, the hero disappeared into the hallway. Moments later, Lex' eyes found the barred window, where a streak of primary colors screamed across the sky.

He smiled wryly and shook his head. "Thank you." He said quietly.

Superman's face was set like a flint in pursuit of the menace that once again seemed to have disappeared from his all-encompassing view. Brainiac may have disappeared, but Superman reveled in this victory for the side of good.

Miles away, the whispered words of Lex Luthor reached the ear of the world's greatest champion as he soared through the heavens…

And he smiled.


End file.
